CELPIP® Speaking Task 5 sample: Picking a Pharmacy for Monthly Refills

Level 7 sample answer

134 words

Yaw, I know you love ordering online, and you're right, the mail-order pharmacy is a bit cheaper, about three dollars less. But I think Cobblestone is better for me. The main reason is I have questions sometimes about side effects. With the online pharmacy I can only call or chat, and I want to talk to a pharmacist face to face. At Cobblestone it's the same pharmacist every time, so they'll know me. Also, the online one takes five to seven days by mail. If I forget to order early, I can run out my medicine. Cobblestone has free delivery in two days, so I don't need to take the bus every month. Um, it's closed on weekends, that's true, but with the delivery it's not a big problem. So I'll go with Cobblestone.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives Yaw clear, relevant reasons for choosing Cobblestone: personal advice and faster, free delivery. Compared with the higher-level answers, its explanations are simpler, its wording is less precise, and its response to limited opening hours is underdeveloped.

• The main reason is I have questions sometimes about side effects. — Content/Coherence: This establishes a relevant priority and leads naturally into the comparison of consultation options. The higher-level answers develop the reason further by connecting a new medication with an ongoing relationship with the same pharmacist.
• If I forget to order early, I can run out my medicine. — Vocabulary: The practical concern is clear, but the phrase should be “run out of my medicine.” The higher-level answers express this risk more naturally and use a wider range of language to explain delivery timing.
• Um, it's closed on weekends, that's true, but with the delivery it's not a big problem. — Listenability: The conversational wording makes the concession easy to follow, although the written filler and vague ending make it less controlled. A higher-level answer would explain the trade-off more directly and finish with a firmer decision.
• Cobblestone has free delivery in two days, so I don't need to take the bus every month. — Task Fulfillment: This directly challenges Yaw's convenience argument by showing that Cobblestone also avoids regular travel. A higher-level answer would distinguish routine deliveries from the occasional visits still needed for face-to-face questions during weekday hours.

Level 9 sample answer

171 words

Yaw, I get the appeal of mail-order. You never have to leave the house, and saving three dollars on every refill isn't nothing. Even so, I've decided to go with Cobblestone Corner, and here's why.

First of all, this is a brand-new medication for me, so I'm bound to have questions about side effects, at least for the first few months. With the online pharmacy, I'd be stuck explaining things on the phone or in a chat window. At Cobblestone, I can just walk in and talk to the same pharmacist every time, someone who'll actually remember my situation.

Timing matters too. Mail-order takes five to seven days, so if I forgot to reorder, I could easily run out. Cobblestone delivers for free within two days, which gives me a much bigger safety net, and it means I won't be riding the bus every month.

It's true they're closed on weekends, but delivery handles the refills, and for questions I can stop in on my way home from work, before six.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops the comparison clearly, uses natural expressions, and connects Cobblestone's services to the speaker's needs. Compared with level 7, it explains benefits more fully; compared with level 11, its organization is more formulaic, and its proposed visit before six assumes an unconfirmed schedule.

• someone who'll actually remember my situation. — Content/Coherence: This develops the benefit of seeing the same pharmacist instead of merely repeating the option's facts. The level 11 answer makes that relationship more concrete by describing how the speaker would discuss a concern about the medication.
• and saving three dollars on every refill isn't nothing. — Vocabulary: This natural conversational expression acknowledges that Yaw's cost argument has value. The level 11 answer uses a broader range of phrasing to weigh cost, ordering convenience, and the speaker's priorities together.
• Even so, I've decided to go with Cobblestone Corner, and here's why. — Listenability: The transition clearly signals the choice and prepares the listener for supporting reasons. Its explicit signposting is easy to follow, while the level 11 answer frames the decision more personally through what tipped the balance.
• for questions I can stop in on my way home from work, before six. — Task Fulfillment: This attempts to solve the opening-hours problem, but the prompt does not establish that work finishes early enough or that the pharmacy is on the route home. The level 11 answer acknowledges the inconvenience without assuming those arrangements.

Level 11 sample answer

184 words

Yaw, you've clearly done your homework on this, and I won't pretend a mail-order pharmacy doesn't have its perks: no trips anywhere, orders placed at midnight if I feel like it, and about three dollars saved on every refill. That said, I've settled on Cobblestone Corner, and I'd like to explain what tipped it for me.

Since this medication is completely new to me, I fully expect to have questions about side effects, particularly in the first few months. If something felt off, I'd much rather describe it across a counter to a pharmacist who will come to know my history than type it into a chat box and hope it's understood. Cobblestone offers exactly that, with the same person every visit.

The delivery times also worry me. A five-to-seven-day window leaves almost no margin for error; one forgotten reorder and I'd be without my medication for days. Cobblestone delivers free within two, so I'd rarely need to make the twenty-five-minute bus trip at all.

Admittedly, they're closed on weekends, but with delivery taking care of most refills, that's a trade-off I'm comfortable making.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines a respectful response to Yaw with developed, personal reasons for choosing Cobblestone. Its varied language, concrete consultation example, and clear acceptance of inconvenient hours make the persuasion stronger, although its claim about mail-order leaving almost no margin for error is overstated.

• one forgotten reorder and I'd be without my medication for days. — Content/Coherence: This turns a delivery-time comparison into a concrete consequence, strengthening the reasoning. However, the outcome depends on when the speaker reorders and how much medication remains; the wording presents that consequence too certainly.
• that's a trade-off I'm comfortable making. — Vocabulary: “Trade-off” precisely expresses the decision to accept limited opening hours in exchange for valued services. This gives the closing judgment more substance than simply saying the inconvenience is not a big problem.
• That said, I've settled on Cobblestone Corner, and I'd like to explain what tipped it for me. — Listenability: This creates a smooth spoken transition from acknowledging Yaw's arguments to explaining a personal decision. The phrasing gives the listener a clear direction while maintaining the friendly tone of a conversation.
• I'd much rather describe it across a counter to a pharmacist who will come to know my history — Task Fulfillment: This directly explains why phone or chat support does not meet the speaker's preference. The concrete face-to-face interaction and continuing pharmacist relationship make Cobblestone's advantage personally relevant and persuasive to Yaw.